Copying a file creates a duplicate of that file in another place. The other place can be a network location, disk, CD, the desktop, or other storage location. If you are copying files from or to other drives or network locations, you need to identify only the source and target locations in the Look in list. The copying process is the same.

  1. Do the following in these Microsoft Office system programs:

    Word, Excel, PowerPoint, or Access

    • Click the Microsoft Office Button button image, and then click Open.

      Keyboard shortcut To display the Open dialog box, press CTRL+O.

    InfoPath, OneNote, Outlook, Project, Publisher, SharePoint Designer, or Visio

    • On the File menu, click Open.

      Keyboard shortcut To display the Open dialog box, press CTRL+O.

  2. In the Look in list, click the folder or drive that contains the file that you want to copy.
  3. In the folder list, locate and open the folder that contains the file that you want to copy.

    Note By default, the files that you see in the Open dialog box are only those files that are created by the program that you are using. For example, if you are using Microsoft Office Excel, you do not see files that are created by using Microsoft Office Word unless you click All Files in the Files of type list.

  4. Right-click the file that you want to copy, and then click Copy on the shortcut menu .

    Note You can also select more than one file to copy at a time.

    showHow do you select more than one file?Do one of the following:

    • To select nonadjacent files in the Open dialog box, click one file, hold down CTRL, and then click each additional file.
    • To select adjacent files in the Open dialog box, click the first file in the sequence, hold down SHIFT, and then click the last file.

      Tip If you select a file that you don't want, hold down CTRL, and then click the file again.

  5. In the Look in list, click the folder or drive that you want to copy the file to.
  6. In the folder list, locate and open the folder that you want to copy the file to.
  7. Right-click anywhere in the folder list (make sure your pointer is not resting over a file in the list), and then click Paste on the shortcut menu.

Note More information about copying files and folders is available from the Microsoft Windows Help and Support Center, which you can access by clicking Help and Support on the Start menu.